Dust-pan.



No. 678,849. Patented July l6, l90l. D. MITCHELL.

DUST PAN.

(Application filed Oct. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.)

W itnesses. I nventor.

UNITED STATES PATENT E roE.

ONE ONE-HUNDREDTI'IS TO WILLIAM REEVES AND EDWIN OF SAME PLACE.

A. REEVES,

DUST-PAN.

$PEGIFICA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,849, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed October 8, 1900. Serial No. 32,404- (Nohnodeld To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New. Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dust-Pans, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in dust-pans, its object being to provide means whereby the dust-pan can be readily shifted from its flat to its elevated position, and vice versa, and retained in either of said positions without requiring the user to bend over and shift the dust-pan manually.

To these and other ends my invention consists in the dust-pan having certain details of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of a dust-pan complete embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof upon line A B of Fig. 1, showing the dust-pan in its flat position; and Fig. 3 is a similar section illustrating the dustpan in its elevated position.

The special design or construction of the tray is immaterial to my invention, and any other design or construction can be used equally as well as the one herein shown,wherein the numeral 1 designates the tray, having the usual sides 2 2 and a hood 3, covering the rear end thereof. Fixed to the tray near the handle end are the feet A, which elevate the rear end of the tray. The use of elevatingfeet is not essential to the perfect operation of the device; but I prefer to attach them in some instances. The handle 5 consists of a cylindrical tube secured in any preferred manner to the tray and having a cap 6 upon its outer end and within whichis a weight 7, formed, preferably, as a metal ball.

In Fig. 2 the dustpan is shown as being in its flat position with its nose upon the fl'oor ready to receive the sweepings. When brushing the sweepings into the dust-pan, a portion thereof are swept under the tray, and the dust-pan must be raised from the floor or shifted so that these dust particles may be brushed from underthe tray into the dustpan. This operation in the ordinary dustan required the person using it to bend over and lift the dust-pan from the floor and either hold it while taking up the sweepings or move it to a position on the floor adjacent thereto. By my construction, however, the person using the dust-pan simply places his or her foot upon the handle when the dust-pan is in its flat position (shown in Fig.2) and depresses it to the position shown in Fig. 3, in which position the handle 5 is upon an incline and the weight 7 shifts from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3, and the weight of which is sufficient to hold the dust-pan in its elevated position. After the sweepings have been brushed from under the tray the pressure of the foot upon the nose end thereof will bring the dust-pan to its flat position, (shown in Fig. 2,) when the weight will again shift within the handle and hold the dustpan in its flat and operative position.

The form or construction of the dust-pan and handle is immaterial to my invention, and I do not desire, therefore, to be limited thereby, but claim all that falls fairly Within the spirit and scope of my invention.

' Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a dust-pan, the combination with a tray; of a handle secured thereto and means connected with said handle and movable therein for holding the dust-pan either in its fiat or elevated position.

2. In a dust-pan, the combination with a tray; of a hollow handle fixed thereto; and a movable weight within the said handle, for maintaining the dust-pan in either its elevated or depressed position.

3. In a dust-pan, the combination with the tray 1 having feet 4 thereon; of a handle 5 closed at each end; and a gravity shiftable weight 7 within the said handle 5.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. HALL, WILLIAM OBRIEN. 

